RBBS in a Box Volume 1 #2/RBBS_vol1_no2.iso/add2/me301b.zip/ME.HLP

Text File | 1988-11-02 | 45KB | 1,120 lines

@ME.FORMAT                                                                    R
*
                 ^TABLE OF CONTENTS^

    ^A^  Quick Reference        ^M^  Page Breaks
    ^B^  Using Menus        ^N^  Printing
    ^C^  Windows            ^O^  Search and Replace, and
    ^D^  Cursor Movement and        Regular Expressions
        Position Marking      ^P^  Filename extensions
    ^E^  Block Operations        ^Q^  Installation and Setup
    ^F^  Deleting Text        ^R^  DOS Shell
    ^G^  Time and Date Stamping    ^S^  Running DOS from Multi-Edit
    ^H^  Format Lines        ^T^  Document menu
    ^I^  Brace/Begin/End Matching    ^U^  Print Formatter
    ^J^  Indenting styles.        ^V^  Template editing.
    ^K^  Undo            ^W^  Compile within editor.
    ^L^  Loading, Saving and    ^X^  Keystroke Macros
        Backing up Files      ^Y^  Macros

        ^1^  Condensed display mode
        ^2^  Line drawing
        ^3^  Calculator
        ^4^  ASCII table
A
             ^QUICK REFERENCE - PAGE 1^
^<F1>^    Help            ^<ShftF1>^  Next window
^<F2>^    Menu            ^<ShftF2>^  Stamp date/time
^<F3>^    Save file        ^<ShftF3>^  Load file
^<F4>^    Indent            ^<ShftF4>^  Undent
^<F5>^    Mark position        ^<ShftF5>^  Goto mark
^<F6>^    Search            ^<ShftF6>^  Search/Replace
^<F7>^    Mark line block        ^<ShftF7>^  Mark column block
^<F8>^    Run Macro        ^<ShftF8>^  Delete line
^<F9>^    Copy Block        ^<ShftF9>^  Inter-Window Copy Block
^<F10>^    Move Block        ^<ShftF10>^ Inter-Window Move Block

^<CtrlF1>^  Last window        ^<AltF1>^  Window list
^<CtrlF2>^  Find compiler error    ^<AltF2>^  Calculator
^<CtrlF3>^  Save block        ^<AltF3>^  Run DOS
^<CtrlF4>^  DOS Directory Shell    ^<AltF4>^  Condensed
^<CtrlF5>^  Zoom window        ^<AltF5>^  ASCII Table
^<CtrlF6>^  Repeat search    ^<AltF6>^  Match brace or statement
^<CtrlF7>^  UNDO        ^<AltF7>^  Stream of text mark
^<CtrlF8>^  Compile        ^<AltF8>^  Goto line
^<CtrlF9>^  Block off        ^<AltF9>^  Expand template
^<CtrlF10>^ Delete block    ^<AltF10>^ Record keystrokes

^<LEFT>^  Cursor Left        ^<CtrlLEFT>^  Word Back
^<RIGHT>^ Cursor Right        ^<CtrlRIGHT>^ Word Forward
^<UP>^    Cursor Up
^<DOWN>^  Cursor Down
^<PgUp>^  Screen Up        ^<CtrlPgUp>^  Last Page Marker
^<PgDn>^  Screen Down        ^<CtrlPgDn>^  Next Page Marker
^<HOME>^  To Left Margin    ^<CtrlHOME>^  To Start of File
^<END>^   To End of Line    ^<CtrlEND>^   To End of File

^<CtrlU>^    Scroll window up        ^<CtrlT>^    Top of window
^<CtrlD>^    Scroll window down.        ^<CtrlB>^    Bottom of window
^<DEL>^        Delete character under cursor   ^<CtrlE>^    Top of block
^<BS>^        Delete character before cursor  ^<CtrlC>^    End of block
^<ShftDEL>^    Delete Word under cursor
^<CtrlBS>^    Delete Word before cursor
^<AltD>^    Delete from cursor to end of line
^<ShftF8>^    Delete line
^<AltI>^    Indent block
^<AltU>^    Undent block
^<CtrlENTER>^    Undo                ^<AltX>^    Quit Multi-Edit
^<AltR>^    Reformat Paragraph        ^<AltK>^    Display keycode
B
                ^USING MENUS^

Most operations may be accessed via the menu system.  The main menu is
assigned by default to the ^<F2>^ key.

Menu selections may be made as follows:

A. Use the ^LEFT and RIGHT or UP and DOWN Arrow^ keys, or the ^mouse^ to move
the selection bar to the desired menu item.  Then hit ^<ENTER>^ or the ^left^
^mouse button^ to select that item.

OR.....

B. Simply press the highlighted capital letter of the selection.

Use the ^<ESC>^ key or the ^right mouse button^ to exit a menu without making
a selection.

Hitting ^<F1>^ will bring up help on the highlighted item.

^NOTE:^  mouse support does require the mouse manufacturers supplied driver.
C WN
                  ^WINDOWS^
Multiple Windows may be opened and used to edit different files or linked
together to edit different sections of the same file.

To create a new window select ^Window^ from the main menu (^<F2>^).
The ^Window^ menu then displays the following options:

^Create^    Creates a new full screen window.  The windows is single
        letter name will always appear in it's lower left corner of
        the window if the lower border is turned on.

^Switch^    Brings up a list of all windows.

^hIde^        Hides the current window.

^Delete^    Deletes the currently active window.

^Erase^        Erases the file contained in the current window from memory
        (not disk).

^Modify^    Allows the cursor keys (or mouse) to be used to change the
        size and position of the current window.

^Link^          Allows the current window to view and edit the same file
        that is being viewed by another window.  A menu of window
        names will be displayed.  Select the desired window to Link to
        and press Return.

^Unlink^    If the current window is Linked to another window it will be
        made independent again.

^V-Split^    Automatically splits the current window vertically into two
        windows.

^H-Split^    Automatically  splits the current window horizontally into
        two windows.

^Zoom^        Toggles the window dimensions between taking up the entire
        available screen area and its defined shape and size.  Also
        available with <CtrlF5>.
D CU
                  ^CURSOR MOVEMENT^
The cursor may be moved to any position within a window, regardless of whether
or not it is beyond the end of a line or the end of the file.

    ^<LEFT>^  Cursor Left        ^<CtrlLEFT>^  Word Back
    ^<RIGHT>^ Cursor Right        ^<CtrlRIGHT>^ Word Forward
    ^<UP>^    Cursor Up
    ^<DOWN>^  Cursor Down
    ^<PgUp>^  Screen Up        ^<CtrlPgUp>^  Last Page Marker
    ^<PgDn>^  Screen Down        ^<CtrlPgDn>^  Next Page Marker
    ^<HOME>^  To Left Margin    ^<CtrlHOME>^  To Start of File
    ^<END>^   To End of Line    ^<CtrlEND>^   To End of File

        ^The following keystrokes must be hit in rapid succession^
    ^<HOME><HOME>^  Cursor to top of window, or if already at top of window,
        then move cursor to top of file.
    ^<HOME><HOME><HOME>^  Cursor to top of file
    ^<END><END>^    Cursor to bottom of window, or if already at bottom of
        window, then move cursor to end of file.
    ^<END><END><END>^ Cursor to end of file.


                 ^POSITION MARKING^
^MARK POSITION        <F5>^ or  ^MENU, Edit, Cursor, Mark^
^RETURN TO MARK        <ShftF5>^ or  ^MENU, Edit, Cursor, Return^
Each time MARK POSITION is invoked the current cursor position is placed onto
the top of the Position Marker Stack.  The Position Marker Stack stores up to
10 positions.  After 10 the oldest position (number 1) will be lost.  RETURN
TO MARK will return the cursor to the most recently marked position, removing
that mark from the list.
E BL
                 ^BLOCK OPERATIONS^

Blocks of text within a file may be marked by line, column or text stream.

To mark a block of lines:

    Move the cursor to the first or last line of the desired block.
    Select ^Edit^,  ^Block^,  ^Line-mark^  from the main menu, or simply
    hit the ^<F7>^  key.  This turns block marking on (notice that the
    line the cursor is on is now highlighted).  Move the cursor to last
    line of the block (or first, depending on where the block was started)
    and select ^End-block^ from the ^Block^  menu, or hit  ^<F7>^ again
    (notice that the highlighting follows the cursor).  The block of lines
    is now marked and Copy, Move, Deletion, etc. operations may be
    performed on it.

To mark a rectangular block of text starting and ending at any column:

    Select  ^columNar-mark^  from the  ^Block^  menu, or hit  ^<ShftF7>^.
    Highlight a rectangular section of text.  Select ^Block-end^,   or hit
    ^<F7>^  or  ^<ShftF7>^  to end the block.


To mark a stream of text block:

    Select  ^Stream-mark^  from the  ^Block^  menu, or hit  ^<AltF7>^.
    Highlight a stream of text.  Select  ^Block-end^, or hit  ^<F7>^  or
    ^<AltF7>^  to end the block.

The following operations may be performed on blocks from the  ^Block^
menu or keys where specified.

^Line-mark     <F7>^       Turns on block highlighting for lines.
^columNar-mark <ShftF7>^   Turns on block highlighting for columnar blocks.
^Stream-mark   <AltF7>^    Turns on block highlight for stream of text blocks.
^Copy          <F9>^       Copies the currently marked block to the current
               cursor position.  ^NOTE:^  Columnar blocks
               are Insert/Overwrite sensitive.
^Move          <F10>^      Moves the currently marked block from it's
               current position to the current cursor
               position.  ^NOTE:^  Columnar blocks are
               Insert/Overwrite sensitive.
^Delete        <CtrlF10>^  Deletes the currently marked block.
^Off           <CtrlF9>^   Turns the highlighted block off.
^Window^                   Pops up the ^Inter-Window^ menu.
^Copy          <ShftF9>^   Copies a block from another window into the
                     current window at the current cursor position.
^Move          <ShftF10>^  Moves a block from another window into the
               current window at the current cursor position.
^Indent        <AltI>^     Indents the marked block one tab stop.
               (Line blocks only)
^Undent        <AltU>^     Undents the marked block one tab stop.  (Line
               blocks only)
F DL
                   ^DELETING TEXT^

Delete character under cursor        ^<DEL>^
Delete character before cursor        ^<BS>^ (backspace)
Delete Word after cursor        ^<ShftDEL>^
Delete Word before cursor        ^<CtrlBS>^
Delete from cursor to end of line    ^<AltD>^
Delete line                ^<ShftF8>^

In addition, blocks may be deleted (see ^BLOCK OPERATIONS^).
G DT
              ^TIME AND DATE STAMPING^
^MENU, Edit, Time/date-stamp^  or  ^<ShftF2>^
Inserts the Date and Time into the file at the current cursor position in
the format:  mm/dd/yy hh:mmam (or pm)
H FR
                   ^FORMAT LINES^

Selecting ^edit-Formatline^ from the ^Document^ menu will cause the current
file's format line to be displayed in the first line of the current window.
The format line may now be formatted as follows:

^<TAB>^        inserts (or overwrites) a tab stop into the format line.
^<DEL>^        deletes the character under the cursor.
^<BS>^        deletes the character before the cursor.
^<END>^        moves the cursor to the end of the format line.
^<HOME>^    moves the cursor to the beginning of the format line.
^R^ or ^r^    sets the right margin.
^<ENTER>^    exits format-line-edit and saves the changes.
^<ESC>^        exits format-line-edit without saving the changes.

Any other text may be entered into the format line, for example, to imbed the
format line in a comment (for source code).  ^NOTE:^  The cursor will not
leave the format line.

A file's format line, if it is not the default format line (in other words it
has been modified), is saved with the file as the first line of the file.  The
code ^@ME.FORMAT^ is imbedded in the line.  Whenever Multi-Edit loads a file,
it checks the first line for that code.  If found, the line is used as the
format line.  ^NOTE:^  This can be used in source code by putting comment
characters at the end and/or beginning of the format line while editing.

Setting ^Save-formatline^ to ^Off^ from the ^Document^ menu will prevent the
format line from being saved with the file.  Remember, however, that each time
the format line is edited the save condition is reset to ^ON^.
J ID
                 ^INDENTING STYLES^
There are three type of indenting in Multi-Edit:  Manual indenting,
auto-indenting, and smart auto-indenting.  Manual indenting is always
available.  Auto-indenting and smart auto-indenting are selected from the
^DOCUMENT^ menu.  See also ^Filename extensions^.


^MANUAL INDENT^
^<F4>^ Tabs the cursor to the next tab marker set in the format line and then
set the left margin at that position.  When carriage return is pressed the
cursor will return to the new left margin instead of column 1.


^MANUAL UNDENT^
^<ShftF4>^ Tabs the Cursor back to the previous tab marker set in the format
line and then sets the left margin at that position.


See ^BLOCK OPERATIONS^ for information on indenting and undenting blocks
of text.


^AUTO-INDENT^
When ^<ENTER>^ is pressed while editing a file, the cursor will be left at the
indent level of the previous line.  Auto-indent may be selected or turned via
^MENU, Document, Indent-style^.

^SMART AUTO-INDENT^
Smart auto-indenting is language specific.  When ^<ENTER>^ is pressed while
editing a file, the first word of the current line is checked for key words in
the specified language and the new line is indented appropriately.  Smart
auto-indent may be selected or turned via ^MENU, Document, Indent-style^.
L FL
                   ^EDIT NEW FILE^
^MENU, File, Edit-new-file^

Prompts for a file name, creates a fullscreen window, and then loads the file
into the new window.  ^NOTE:^  When entering the file name, hitting the ^<F2>^
key will bring up the ^DOS SHELL^ and select a file to load from there (by
highlighting a file and hitting ^<ENTER>^).  DOS wild card characters (* and
?) are allowed from the prompt.

                  ^LOADING A FILE^
^<ShftF3>^  or  ^MENU, File, Load^

Prompts for a file name and then loads that file into the current window.

Files to be loaded may be specified on the command line when invoking
Multi-Edit.

For example:  ^C>ME WHATZIT.C WOW.ASM WHEREIS.PAS^

If more than one file is specified, then windows will be created for each
additional file.

DOS wild card characters (* and ?) are allowed from the EDIT NEW FILE and
LOAD FILE prompts, and from the command line.

                   ^SAVING A FILE^
^<F3>^  or  ^MENU, File, Save^

Prompts for a file name, (uses current file name by default), and then saves
the file to disk.  If BACKUPS (see Installation and Setup) are on then a
backup of the file (if it already exists) is made the first time the file is
saved.  The backup file will have the extension ^.BAK^.


               ^SAVING A MARKED BLOCK OF TEXT^
^<CtrlF3>^  or  ^MENU, File, Block-save^

Prompts for a file name, and then saves the currently marked block to
disk.

               ^CHANGING A FILE NAME^
^MENU, File, Name^

The name of the current file may be changed with this function.  ^NOTE:^  No
file saving takes place, and the name of the file is not changed on disk.
This is essentially used to create a new file from an existing file.

                 ^AUTOMATIC BACKUPS^

Multi-Edit normally creates a backup of a file (as it existed when it was
loaded) when the user first saves an edited version of the file.  This backup
is done ONLY on that first save, to maintain a copy of the original file
without any of the subsequent editing steps.  The filename used for the backup
is the same as the original, but with a ".BAK" extension.

Automatic backups may be disabled (see ^Installation and Setup^).
M PG
                ^PAGE BREAKS^

Multi-Edit has a page break facility which allows any text file to be broken
up and easily paged through just as a full word processor allows movement
between pages.  ^NOTE:^  This facility is used by, but NOT dependent on, the
document mode feature of Multi-Edit.

A Page break is, by default, a form-feed character (ASCII 12), however it may
be changed to any string (up to 20 characters long) from the ^Installation and^
^Setup^ menu.  ^NOTE:^  Multi-Edit is sensitive to the case of any alpha
characters used in the page break string.

^INSERT PAGE BREAK^   ^MENU, Edit, Page-break^
       Creates a new line above the current line, that contains the page
       break string.

^NEXT PAGE BREAK^     ^<CtrlPGDN>^  or  ^MENU, Edit, Cursor, Next-page^
       Moves the cursor to the line after the next page break.

^LAST PAGE BREAK^     ^<CtrlPGUP>^  or  ^MENU, Edit, Cursor, Last-page^
       Moves the cursor to the line after the previous page break.
N PR
               ^PRINTING AND PRINTER CONTROL^
^MENU, Print^

The following operations may be performed from the ^Print^ menu:
^NOTE:^  All printer output is sent to the PRN device.  The system default is
LPT1.

^print File^    Prints the file in the current window.
^print Block^    Prints the currently marked block.
^printer Setup^    Invokes a menu to issue printer specific codes for various
         fonts, etc. to the printer.
^Margin^    Sets up a left margin to be added while printing.
^printer Type^    Sets, creates, deletes, or modifies the printer type.
         Multi-Edit uses as many generic codes as possible, so most
         printers from the listed manufacturers (and compatibles)
         should be supported.  If your printer is not supported, or
         changes to the codes outputted for a specific printer are
         desired, select ^Create^, ^Modify^, or ^Delete^.





^The printer modify menu^
         The printer modify menu allows the user to modify the printer
         specific codes of any printer type.  There are 3 fields per
         code:

        ^Code name^        The name of the printer code.
        ^Format code^        The 2 character string corresponding
                    to the print formatter macro.
        ^Printer control code^    The actual printer control code(escape
                    sequence).

^NOTE:^  Printing a saved file in the background is possible via the DOS shell
(see ^DOS SHELL^).
O SR
                ^SEARCH AND REPLACE^

^SEARCH^        ^<F6>^  or  ^MENU, Edit, Search, Search^
^SEARCH AND REPLACE^    ^<ShftF6>^ or ^MENU, Edit, Search, search-and-Replace^
^REPEAT LAST SEARCH^    ^<CtrlF6>^ or ^MENU, Edit, Search, Next-search^

Searches file for the inputted string (or expression), from the current cursor
position unless Global search is specified.  If ^SEARCH AND^ ^REPLACE^ is
invoked then the found string may be selectively replaced with the second
inputted string (or expression).
Multi-Edit has a complete regular expression implementation.  See following
page for an explanation of regular expressions.

                  ^SEARCH OPTIONS^
The following search options (or switches) are available:
^G^    Global search (search entire file).
^I^    Ignore case of alpha characters.
^N^    No replace prompts.
^P^    Use prompts on search.
^B^    Backwards search.
^X^    eXpressions OFF (turn regular expressions off).
^R^    Restrict search to lines in currently marked block.
                ^REGULAR EXPRESSIONS^
^*^    match 0..n occurances of the previous character or expression.
^+^    match 1..n occurances of the previous character or expression.
^?^    match any character.
^[]^    match class of characters.  Example:   ^[a-zA-Z0-9_]^
^[~]^    match any character except the enclosed class.
^%^    match beginning of line.
^$^    match end of line.
^@^    match (or replace) next character literally.
^{}^    encloses a group of 1 or more expressions.  Max # of groups = 10
^|^    match previous OR next expression.
         Example:  ^{BEGIN}|{END}^ would match either "BEGIN" or "END";
         ^NOTE:^  A character is counted as an expression.  Therefore,
         ^BEGIN|END^ would match either "BEGINND" or "BEGIEND".
            ^REPLACE STRING EXPRESSIONS^
^$^    Inserts a carriage return.
^%^    Deletes a character.  May be used to delete and end of line.
^&^    Insert the original found text.
^#n^    Insert text matched by group number 'n',  n = 0 through 9.
         Example:  Search = ^{POS(}{?*,}{?*,}^  Replace = ^#0#2#1^
         would swap the parameters for the function POS(str1,str2);
P FE
                ^FILENAME EXTENSIONS^
^MENU, Install, Filename extensions^
Upon loading a file, Multi-Edit checks a list of filename extensions for the
extension of the file being loaded.  If found, Multi-Edit sets up a format
line and settings for indent style, document mode, wordwrap and language and
compiler types.  Extensions may be added, deleted, or the settings modified,
for each extension from the ^Filename extensions^ selection in the ^Install^
menu.  The following is a break down of the filename extension setup menu.

^File extension^    If you change the filename extension from this menu,
            what will actually happen is that a copy of this
            extension setup will be created for the new extension.
^Edit mode^        Specifies text or document editing mode.  For language
            applications, text would be specified, for
            documentation files, document mode would probably be
            desired.
^Word wrap^        Word wrap is probably only desired for documentation
            files.
^Indent^        Determines the indent stye - Off, Auto or Smart.  See
            ^Indenting Styles^ for more info.
^Tab spacing^        Sets the number of spaces to expand tabs and indents to.
^Format line^        Allows for a specific format line to be assigned to
            the loaded file.  Overrides ^Tab spacing^ above.  When
            editing the format line, hit <ENTER> to accept your
            changes, or hit <ESC> to cancel the format line, and
            go back to using ^Tab spacing^.  See ^Format Lines^
            for more info.
^Right margin^        Sets the right margin used for word wrap.
^Language type^        Selects the language type to be used for smart
            indenting, brace matching and template editing.
^Compiler Command^    This is the command line that is to be used to compile
            the source file.  The following identifiers may be
            inserted into the command line:
            ^<FILE>^  inserts the filename (but not the extension).
            ^<EXT>^ inserts the filename extension.
            ^<NR>^ prevents Multi-Edit from redirecting the
                standard output into a file.
            ^<ME_PATH>^ inserts the Multi-Edit directory path.
^Compiler prompt^    If ^Compiler prompt^ is on then when the Compile
            command is executed, a prompt will come up with the
            default compiler command line.  This allows the
            compiler command line to be changed before being
            executed.
^Compiler type^        Select the type of compiler you are using.  This is
            needed in order to properly auto-locate compiler
            errors.  Many compilers conform to the ^MICROSOFT^
            error output standard.  If the compiler you are using
            is not on the list, try ^MICROSOFT^.
^Large compile^        See ^COMPILE WITHIN EDITOR^ for information on the
            ^Large Compile^ option.
^Clear Screen^        If the compiler appears to be writing through to the
            screen (i.e. the Multi-Edit screen is getting messed
            up) then turn this option on.
^Save all files^    If ^Save all files^ is on, then all changed files, not
            just the one being edited, will be saved upon
            executing ^Compile^.  This is a safety feature, and it
            really is a good idea to always have this turned on.
^Post-load macro^    Specifies the name of a macro to be run after loading
            the file.  This allows even more extensive
            customization.

If the Large Compile option is specified then Multi-Edit MUST^ have been
invoked with the MEC batch file.  See ^COMPILE WITHIN EDITOR^ for more
information on Large Compiles.
Q IN
              ^INSTALLATION AND SETUP^
^MENU, Install^
The ^Installation and Setup^ menu allows changes to be made on many different
settings such as screen colors, backups, key mappings, etc.  Changes can
optionally be saved, making them the startup defaults.

^Edit Settings^
  ^Backups^        Toggles automatic backups on or off.
  ^Page Break^        Prompts for the page break string (see ^PAGE BREAKS^)
  ^Truncate Spaces^    Toggles truncating end of line trailing spaces.
  ^Autosave^        Prompts for the number of seconds to remain idle before
            saving files.  Inputting 0 turns autosave off.
            (see ^AUTOSAVE^).
  ^Default Mode^    Toggles the default Insert/Overwrite mode.
  ^tab Expansion^    Sets the use of tab characters or space characters.
  ^Insert Cursor^    Programs the appearance of the cursor for the insert
            mode.  Choices are Underline, 1/3 block, 2/3 block,
            and Full.
  ^Overwrite Cursor^    Same as Insert Cursor (see above).
  ^Word Delimits^    The word delimiters that affect word left/word right.
  ^Search Switches^    The default switches for search/search and replace.
  ^Format Code Delimit^    The delimiter for the print formatter codes.
  ^Max Undo Count^    The amount of undo steps saved 0 - 65535.
  ^Key repeat speed^    Allows the keyboard typematic speed to be set, including
            the amount of delay before key repeat occurs.  This
            feature may not work on older PCs that do not support
            the builtin BIOS function to set the typematic speed.

^Colors^           Allows changes of the screen colors.

^Screen Setup^        Allows setup of two different screen configurations.
            ^<ALTZ>^ will toggle between the two during editing.

^Key Mapping^           Brings up the ^KEY ASSIGNMENT^ menu.  Allows keyboard
               remapping.

^Video Mode^           Toggles the video mode from 80x25 to an alternate
            mode, depending on the video adapter in use.
            ^CGA and IBM Monochrome^    80x25
            ^EGA^                80x25 and ^80x43^
            ^Sigma Color 400^        80x25 and ^80x50^
            ^VGA^                80x25 and ^80x50^

^Mouse^               Enables or disables the mouse.  It is sometimes
            necessary to disable the mouse for programs like MS
            Windows and DesqView.

^Logo screen^        Toggling this setting to ^OFF^ will prevent the startup
            logo screen from coming up when Multi-Edit is started.

^eXplosions^        Multi-Edits "exploding" windows may be turned off.

^ctrl HELP box^        Toggles the ctrl-keypad help box on and off.

^Filename extensions^    Allows adding, deletion and modification to the setups
            for specific filename extensions.  See ^Filename^
            ^extensions^ for more info.

^Printer type^        Sets the printer type currently in use.

^Restore^        Toggles restore on and off.  If restore is on, then
            whenever the editor is exited the status of the
            editor, including all files loaded and the window
            sizes, etc., will be saved in a file called STATUS.ME.
            This file is specific to the current directory.  When
            the editor is restarted, and no files are loaded from
            the command line, then the previous status of the
            editor is restored.
^Use EMS Memory^    Provides 2 levels of Expanded memory support if present.
R DO
                 ^DOS SHELL^

^MENU, File, Dos-shell^  or  ^<CtrlF4>^
The DOS Shell is used to perform DOS file commands from within the editor
(such as file copying, renaming, directory listings, etc.).  ^NOTE:^  The
^DOS SHELL^ functions are invoked from the function keys, not a menu.  The
following functions are included:

^Mark/Unmark file  <SPACEBAR>^
Marks or Unmarks a file in the directory.  The marked file will be
indicated by a '' character.

^Help            <F1>^
Brings up this Help screen

^Change Directory    <F2>^
Changes the working or default subdirectory

^Delete File        <F3>^
Deletes the file highlighted in the directory display


^Copy File        <F4>^
Copies the file highlighted in the directory display (or a filename may be
typed in) to a destination that will be prompted for.


^Rename File        <F5>^
Renames the highlighted file.  A new filename will be prompted for.


^Get Directory        <F6>^
Prompts for a path, then displays a directory listing.  Works just like
DOS's DIR command.  ^NOTE:^  This does not change the current directory.


^Run DOS Command    <F7>^
Any DOS command or program (including internal commands) can be executed with
this function.  It uses the standard DOS "COMMAND.COM" command interpreter, so
the command syntax is exactly as specified in the DOS User's Guide.




^Print a file        <F8>^
This function will allow printing of a file using the DOS background print
spooler, PRINT.COM.  After specifying the file to be printed, the DOS shell,
or even Multi-Edit may be exited without disturbing the PRINT operation.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
    A.  PRINT.COM program must either be in the current subdirectory or
          there must be a path to where the program resides.
    B.  PRINT.COM will NOT accept a path as part of the filename to print
          for DOS versions prior to DOS 3.0.
    C.  PRINT.COM should already be resident for optimal use of memory.



^Load a file        <F9>^
Loads the selected file into the editor.  If the DOS shell is being used from
a prompt (see ^Loading and Saving files^) this key selects the file.




^Sort directory        <F10>^
Brings up a prompt to enter the desired sort keys.


^Delete marked Files <ShftF3>^
Deletes all files currently marked.  Prompts for verification first.


^Copy marked Files   <ShftF4>^
Copies all files currently marked to the prompted destination.


^Print marked Files  <ShftF8>^
Prints all files currently marked.


^Load marked Files  <ShftF9>^
Creates windows for and Loads all files currently marked.
S RD
            ^RUNNING DOS FROM MULTI-EDIT^
^MENU, Support, Dos^  or  ^AltF3^
Allocates all available memory, and runs a copy of COMMAND.COM.
DOS commands and other programs may be run from the DOS command line.
If EMS memory is available, then Multi-Edit should be able to free as much
as 500k of RAM to run other programs.
K UN
                   ^UNDO^
^MENU, Undo^  or  ^<CtrlF7>^
Undo can, quite simply, undo editing changes.  Any editing operation,
excluding file saving and loading, can be undone.  This includes block
operations, text insertions and deletions, major cursor movements, search and
replaces, etc.
Y MA
                  ^MACROS^

^MENU, Macro, Run-a-macro^  or  ^<F8>^
Executes a macro.  Multi-Edit first checks to see if the macro has been
loaded.  If it hasn't then it checks the current directory for a .MAC file
with the inputted name.  If not found then it checks the Multi-Edit directory.

^MENU, Macro, Load-a-macro-file^
Loads a macro file from disk.  If no path name is specified then Multi-Edit
first checks the current directory, then the Multi-Edit directory.

^MENU, Macro, Unload-a-macro^
Erases a macro from memory.

^MENU, Macro, Save-keystrokes^
Allows building macro source from a recorded keystroke macro.  See ^KEYSTROKE^
^MACROS^ and the Multi-Edit User's Guide for more information.
X KM
                 ^KEYSTROKE MACROS^
^RECORD KEYSTROKES      <AltF10>^
Sequences of keystrokes may be recorded and played back from both ^Text^
^Edit^ mode and the ^DOS SHELL^.  To start recording keystroke simply hit the
^<AltF10>^ key, and go on editing (or working in the ^DOS SHELL^).  When the
desired keystroke sequence is complete, hit ^<AltF10>^ again.  Then a prompt
will appear for the key to assign the keystroke macro to (or hit ^<ESC>^ to
discard the new macro).  ^NOTE:^  Keystroke recording cannot start or stop
from a menu or prompt.

To save keystroke macros, a macro source file must be built with the ^MENU,^
^Macro, Save-keystrokes^ menus.  See the Multi-Edit User's Guide for more
information.
1 CN
                 ^CONDENSED DISPLAY^
^MENU, Support, coNdense^  or  ^<AltF4>^
Condenses the current file by displaying only the lines that start at or
before the cutoff column (defaults to column 1, but is user definable), or
lines that contain a specified search string.  Use ^<F2>^ to specify the
cutoff column, or ^<F3>^ to specify a search string.  Use the ^<UP>^, ^<DOWN>^,
^<PgUp>^ and ^<PgDn>^ keys to move quickly through a file.  Hit ^<ENTER>^ to exit
condensed mode and move the cursor to the selected line, or ^<ESC>^ to exit
and return the cursor to it's original location.

Condensed display is very useful for editing large source code files
(particularly for a structured language), as it allows easy movement to
different functions, procedures, etc..
4 AS
                ^ASCII TABLE^
^MENU, Support, Ascii-table^  or  ^<AltA>^
Displays a three page ASCII table, which includes character, decimal and hex
columns.  The ASCII table displays the entire IBM extended character set.  Use
the ^<UP> and <DOWN>^ keys to move between the pages.  Hit ^<ESC>^ to exit.
  SU
                   ^SUPPORT MENU^
The support menu accesses the following:

^Calculator^    The programmers calculator (see ^Calculator^).
^ASCII Table^    The extended ASCII Table (see ^ASCII Table^).
^coNdense^    Condensed display (see ^CONDENSED DISPLAY^).
^run-Dos^    Runs DOS from editor (see ^RUNNING DOS FROM MULTI-EDIT^).
^Line-draw^    Line drawing mode (see ^LINE DRAWING^).
^comPile^    Compiles a program (see ^COMPILE WITHIN EDITOR^)
^Match^        Brace/BEGIN/END matching (see ^BRACE/BEGIN/END MATCHING^).

  ED
                 ^EDIT MENU^
The edit menu is used to access most functions that directly affect text,
or the cursor (with the exception of Documentation features and Undo).
The following is available:

^Block^        Brings up the ^BLOCK MENU^ (see ^BLOCK OPERATIONS^).
^Search^    Brings up the ^SEARCH MENU^ (see ^SEARCH AND REPLACE^).
^Format-line^    Brings up the ^FORMAT LINE MENU^ (see ^FORMAT LINES^).
^Cursor^    Brings up the ^CURSOR MENU^ (see ^CURSOR MOVEMENT AND^
                  ^POSITION MARKING^).
^Delete^    Brings up the ^DELETE MENU^ (see ^DELETING TEXT^).
^Time/Date-Stamp^  see ^TIME AND DATE STAMPING^.
^Page-break^    see ^PAGE BREAKS^.
T WP
              ^THE DOCUMENT MENU^

^<MENU>, Document^
Multi-Edit supports both a normal text editing mode and a document editing
mode.  In document mode Multi-Edit keeps track of and displays the current
page number. The line number displayed in the upper left corner of the window
counts the number of lines from the top of the page instead of the top of the
file.  Multi-Edit wordwrap and format features are available in both modes.

^Wordwrap^
    When wordwrap is on a line will be wrapped when the inserting of text
    causes the line to exceed the current right margin.  ^NOTE:^  Wordwrap
    assumes one simple rule:  ^A paragraph must end with a blank line or^
    ^a page break line.^

^Indent-style^
    Selects the current indenting mode.  See ^INDENTING STYLES^.

^right Margin^
    Sets the current right margin for wordwrap.


^Reformat^
    Reformats from the line the cursor is at to the end of the paragraph.

^Justify^
    Right justifies from the current line to the end of the paragraph.

^Unjustify^
    Removes extra spacing (inserted for justification) from the current
    line to the end of the paragraph.

^edit-Formatline^
    Enters formatline edit mode.  See ^FORMAT LINES^.

^Save-formatline^
    If ^ON^ then the current formatline will be saved with the file.
    See ^FORMAT LINES^.

^format-Codes^
    Brings up a menu for insertion of codes used by the Print Formatter.


^Print-formatter^
    Invokes the Print Format macro.  See ^PRINT FORMATTER^.

^Auto-setup^
    Sets up the current file based on it's filename extension.  See
    ^Filename Extensions^ for more information.
U PF
                  ^PRINT FORMATTER^

^<MENU>, Document, Print-formatter^
The print formatter is a macro which formats text files for output to the
printer via special character code sequences (see the following pages for a
complete list of these codes).  Although these codes may be easily entered
manually, we have provided a method of automating this process via
^<MENU>, Document, format-Codes^.

The print formatter does not actually output to the printer, but instead
creates a ^.PRT^ file in another window, which may be saved and printed in the
background via the DOS print spooler (see ^DOS SHELL^).


Some formatting codes generate printer specific output.  The printer type is
selected, created, and modified from either the ^PRINT^ menu or the
^INSTALLATION AND SETUP^ menu.


The following pages list the format codes and information on headers and
footers, table of contents generator, etc..


^The "." delimiter.^
Although the default first character of all the formatting codes is a period
character, the user may define virtually any character via the ^Install^ menu.



                 ^FORMATTING CODES^

              ^PAGINATION, HEADERS AND FOOTERS^
^Code        Default        Action^
^.pb^ n        n=+1        Page break (start page number n)
^.df^ str    Empty        Define footer
^.dh^ str    Empty        Define header
^.sf^                Suppress footer this page
^.sh^                Suppress header this page
^.hm^ n        n=2        Set header margin to n
^.fm^ n        n=64        Set footer margin to n
^.ff^ n        n=0        1 = Use form feed characters
                0 = Use blank lines for page breaks



           ^LINE SPACING, MARGINS, AND CENTERING^
^Code        Default        Action^
^.ls^ n        n=1         SetLine spacing to n
^.pl^ n        n=66        Set page length to n
^.rm^ n        n=80        Set right margin to n
^.lm^ n        n=1        Set left margin to n
^.tm^ n        n=5        Set top margin to n
^.bm^ n        n=60        Set bottom margin to n
^.ce^                 Center this line


                 ^PRINT ATTRIBUTES^
^Code                Action^
^.u1^                Underline On (Printer specific)
^.u0^                Underline Off (Printer specific)
^.e1^                Emphasized On (Printer specific)
^.e0^                Emphasized Off (Printer specific)
^.i1^                Italic On (Printer specific)
^.i0^                Italic Off (Printer specific)
^.d1^                Double Width On (Printer specific)
^.d0^                Double Width Off (Printer specific)
^NOTE:^  These are the default codes and are completely  user definable via
the ^PRINT^ menu.



                   ^MISCELLANEOUS^
^Code        Default        Action^
^.np^                Comment, line will not be printed
^.ig^                Ignore, line will not be decoded
^.fn^                Inserts the current File name
^.ti^                Inserts the current Time
^.da^                Inserts the current Date
^.pa^                Inserts the current Page number







               ^Notes on Headers and Footers^
All characters to the right of a .dh or .df are considered to be part of the
header or footer.  The following commands and variables can be used within
header or footer definitions:  .ce, .in, .ul, .fn, .ti, .da, .pa.


             ^Comment and Ignored lines^
A comment line (denoted by ^.np^) is not outputted to the .PRT file.  Comment
lines are useful for defining header and footers, setting margins, etc.,
without having the line printed as normal text.  An Ignored line is outputted
to the .PRT file, but it is not processed for formatting codes.  This is
particularly useful if printing a formatting code literally is desired.


               ^Form Feed Characters^
Form feed characters (ASCII 12) will be interpreted the same as the .pb
command, except there is no parameter expected.



            ^USER DEFINABLE FORMATTING COMMANDS^

These are "macro" type formatting commands which the user can define.  Since
they are processed in a "search and replace" type manner, they can be very
versatile.  In defining, everything to the right of the command to the
end-of-line is considered to be part of the definition.  Whenever a matching
execute command is encountered, the command is replaced by the definition
string.  Anything (normal text, other commands, etc.)  will be processed as
though it were imbedded at the point of the execution command.  Legal values
for the parameter is 1-10.

    .du n    n=1        Define user formatting command n
    .ud n    n=1        Execute user formatting command n

EXAMPLE: .du1 .em1This string is too long to type!.em0
          .du1 .ud1INSERTING TEXT.em0.dw0.it0

Caution:  If the insertion of the definition string results in a string length
which exceeds 255, the definition string will be truncated until it fits,
yielding unpredictable results.

            ^TABLE OF CONTENTS GENERATOR^

A table of contents generator is an integral part of the print formatter.  It
has the ability to generate a table of contents with up to 5 levels, and four
different styles or formats.  It uses codes similar to the print formatter.

^.tc^ Define table of contents. At least 2 parameters are expected, up
     to 12 will be recognized.

^Parameter 1:^  the margin to which the page numbers will be right justified.
^Parameter 2:^  0 = precede page number with spaces, 1 = use periods.

The second and third will determine the amount of indenting for the first
level, and the format or style of the first level respectively.  Each
subsequent pair of parameters will determine the indent and style of
subsequent table levels (up to 5 levels).  Any missing parameters will default
as follows:

         Right margin = 75
         Spaces will be used
         Style(for all levels) = 0
         Level 1 indent = 5
         Level 2 indent = 7
         Level 3 indent = 9
         Level 4 indent = 11
         Level 5 indent = 13

The style parameter can be any integer from 0 to 3 and defines the following
possible formats:

        0 = plain        Eg:  COMPILING A MACRO
        1 = numeric        Eg:  1. COMPILING A MACRO
        2 = alpha        Eg:  A. COMPILING A MACRO
        3 = roman numeral    Eg:  I. COMPILING A MACRO


^.te^ Designate a table entry.
    One parameter is expected, which is the table level this entry.
    Everything on this line beginning with the first word after the
    parameter will be considered part of the table entry.
    As an example, if the table definition looked line this:

        ^.ig.tc 65 1 15 0 20 1 23 2^

    and there were 3 table entries like this:

        .te 1 CARING FOR YOUR DOG
        .te 2 FEEDING
        .te 3 DRY FOOD

    the resulting table of contents would look something like
    this:

        CARING FOR YOUR DOG..............................1
              1. FEEDING.................................2
             A. DRY FOOD.............................3

3 CA
                ^CALCULATOR^
^MENU, Support, Calculator^  or  ^<AltF2>^
The calculator is standard notation and supports Floating point decimal, HEX
and BINARY formats.   The following operators and functions are supported:
^+^        Addition
^-^       Subtraction
^*^       Multiplication
^/^       Division
^<F2>^       Full clear
^<F3>^       Clear current entry only
^<F4>^       Binary AND
^<F5>^       Binary OR
^<F6>^       Binary XOR
^<F7>^       Change BASE   Switches between Decimal, Hex and Binary formats.
^<F8>^       Change Sign
^<F9>^       Memory functions
^<ENTER>^  Load memory with current value
^+^       Add current value to memory
^R^       Recall memory value

In addition the cursor keys (when NUMLOCK is off) may be used to move the
calculator window around the screen.
2 LD
                   ^LINE DRAWING^
^MENU, Support, Line-draw^
Allows drawing of lines and boxes with the extended graphic characters.  To
draw in ^Line-draw^:

^Arrow Keys^        move the cursor around the screen.
^Shifted Arrow Keys^    draw lines.
^<F2>^            toggles between single, double and erase line mode.
^<ESC>^            exits ^Line-draw^.
^<PgUp>^        move one window up.
^<PgDn>^        move one window down.
^<END>^            move end of line
^<HOME>^        move to start of line


W CP
               ^COMPILE WITHIN EDITOR^
^MENU, Support, coMpile^  or  ^<CtrlF8>^
To compile within the editor, a compiler type and a compiler command for the
extension of the file must be set up.  It is suggested that batch file or Make
commands be used, and that a standardized naming scheme for the batch or make
file be used.  See ^Filename extensions^ for more information.


                   ^LARGE COMPILE^

Sometimes a compiler will require more memory than Multi-Edit can free up in
order to run (particularly C compilers).  The Large Compile option (which is
specified for each filename extension, or globally from the Install menu) is
used for such situations.  The Large Compile option requires that Multi-Edit
have been invoked with MEC batch file supplied on the program disk.

When performing a compile, and lArge-compile is ON, the following will
happen:

1.    The current status of the editor will be saved
2.    Multi-Edit will be exited.
3.    The compiler will be run with error redirection.
4.    Multi-Edit will be restarted (with the old state restored).
5.    The error file will be brought up and parsed.

^NOTE:^  To use Large Compile with some compilers (notable Turbo-C) the number
of files openable on the system may need to be increased to 2 or 3 above the
default.  This is done via the ^FILES=^ command in the ^CONFIG.SYS^ file.  We
recommend a setting of ^FILES=20^.
V TE
                 ^TEMPLATE EDITING^
^MENU, Support, Template^  or  ^<AltT>^  or ^<AltF9>^
With template editing, single character may be typed in, then hit ^Template^
and an entire construct will be created (for the language being used), based
on that character.

^TEMPLATE EDITING IN C^
    ^i^    Builds an 'if () {' construct.
    ^w^    Builds a 'while () {' construct.
    ^f^    Builds a 'for () {' construct.
    ^{^    Builds matching braces.
    ^s^    Builds a 'switch () {' construct.
    ^d^    Builds a 'do { } while ();' construct.
    ^/*^    Builds a date stamped comment block.

^TEMPLATE EDITING IN PASCAL^
Since pascal keywords are not case sensitive, the case of the templates will
be determined by the case of the character typed in.  ^NOTE:^  Since 'FOR' and
'FUNCTION' both start with 'F' a prompt will appear for the one to use, unless
the second character is typed in.

    ^B^    Builds a matching 'BEGIN/END' construct.
    ^I^    Builds an 'IF () THEN' construct.
    ^W^    Builds a 'WHILE () DO' construct.
    ^F^    Prompts for 'FOR-NEXT' or 'FUNCTION'.
    ^FU^    Builds a 'FUNCTION  () : ;' construct with matching 'BEGIN/END'.
    ^FO^    Builds a 'FOR  :=  TO  DO' construct.
    ^P^    Builds a 'PROCEDURE  ();' construct with matching 'BEGIN/END'.
    ^C^    Builds a 'CASE  OF' construct with matching 'END'.
    ^R^    Builds a 'REPEAT UNTIL ();' construct.

^TEMPLATE EDITING IN THE MULTI-EDIT MACRO LANGUAGE^
    ^$M^    Builds a '$MACRO  ; END_MACRO;' construct.
    ^I^    Builds an 'IF () THEN' construct with matching 'END;'.
    ^W^    Builds a 'WHILE () DO' construct with matching 'END;'.

I MT
             ^BRACE/BEGIN/END MATCHING^
^MENU, Support, Match^  or  ^<AltF6>^
Currently supports Pascal and C.
^For Pascal:^
    Matches BEGIN/END, CASE/END and parenthesis.

^For C:^
    Matches {} and parenthesis.

Place cursor on item to match.  Hit ^MATCH^ and the cursor will be taken to
the matching brace or statement.